A 26 dollar bike...

is not all i got for Christmas.....in fact it was a couple of weeks before!

As per my 2010 training i have been pretty slack on the blog front - both things i am going to focus on next year

In an effort to get out and ride more i bought a 26 dollar bike from ebay...it is a bit of a brick but will be good to ride around with my son (on the back. Only drama is the gears - or lack off!

Hope everyone had a merry merry time!

Cheers

Greg

How they roll in the Vegas

So I am just settling into life in Brisvegas (why the vegas? http://tinyurl.com/2586np8 )

Brisbane is a great exercise town. Luckily I work about a 20 minute walk from home so i get to stroll in each morning....and every morning a guy cycles past me wearing suit pants, thongs and a helmet.

Thats right no shirt

Oh and a mullet

I tried to find a picture of it, but, surprisingly there was nothing in Google images that captured it

Oh and i saw him cycle home looking the same...

Cheers

Greg

Everyone wears Speedo’s........

.....in Brisvegas

So I have started to get back into my swimming. I rocked up to the local pool in my usual swimming gear

- Long shorts
- Sun proof rash vest (short sleeve)

There were about 20 other men in the pool. No women, just men.

All wearing Speedos.

Big and small

All in the short stuff. Basically I looked like a freak in all my gear

To top it off as we are still moving I did not have any swimming towels handy.....so I had to borrow one from my son....which was hooded

Like this

.....in Brisvegas

So I have started to get back into my swimming. I rocked up to the local pool in my usual swimming gear

- Long shorts
- Sun proof rash vest (short sleeve)

There were about 20 other men in the pool. No women, just men.

All wearing Speedos.

Big and small

All in the short stuff. Basically I looked like a freak in all my gear

To top it off as we are still moving I did not have any swimming towels handy.....so I had to borrow one from my son....which was hooded

Like this






Hello Brisbane

Cheers

Greg

I might not even have a bike....

So my family and I just moved up to Brisbane. It was for a new job and a lifestyle change

I tell you what with all the cycle tracks and running paths I am pretty motivated to get training again. In fact I am going to hit the pool today

The only catch might be my bike.

I had grand plans to carefully pack my bike before it went into the removal truck / storage....unfortunately I ran out of time and had to pack it loose....

Who know how it will turn up!

Fingers crossed

Greg

Commonwealth Games?

So they are on right now

For those of you who might now know this is a 4 yearly celebration of what used to be the British empire.

Basically Australia will win close to 100 gold medals beating some god awful competition (as a nation we can swim but you know the competition is bad if we are winning gymnastics medals.........)As a result it is pretty boring to watch

Is this how Americans feel about the Olympics?

Cheers

Greg

On Compression

I love my compression gear…..but when I do use compression gear I believe in following 5 simple rules

1. Do not wear them if you are looking to improve your performance. Train smarter and harder. Wear them for the psychological improvement and to stay warm. Any improvement you get is a bonus


3. Never wear skin coloured compression tights. Go plain. They are a functional item not a fashion item.

3. Most expensive is not always best. I have tired a few different brands and have found my pair, a middle of the ground, suit me the best rather than the most expensive. Ask around and get a recommendation from someone

4. I wear them to stay warm not cool I have seen the “ice” compression wear around and I am not convinced. I have worn compersiions wear in warm weather and found I got too hot. Just not my scence

And last but not least

Do not ever, ever wear just your compression clothing when you for a run. No matter what time of the day it is, no matter how cold it is no one wants to see that. No one



What do you think?

Cheers

Greg

You know it is not going to be your day when.....

Your umbrella springs open on a full bus spraying people with ice cold water

Off for a swim today to try and shake off the aches and pains from the city to surf. The other night i tired to run home.....

I was about 7k's in when i started to cramp in both my calves. Young Greg would have pushed through....older Greg decided to jump on a bus.

So i flagged down the bus and asked for my ticket (my stop was around 4k's away)

Turns out the bus driver had just done the city to surf and started to take the piss out of me for stopping running....according to him

- it would have been quicker to run than catch the bus (which was wrong as he drove like a madman!)
- I needed to toughen up....a fair point when you think about it

You have got to love Sydney public transport

Cheers

Greg

Results are in

So the official time is in 74.52....8 seconds below the cut off for the top group next year

NOt bad not bad at all

For anyone interested this is the run

A run with some company

Believe it or not over the past months I have actually been doing something

1. I shaved half my left leg (so I could strap my ankle)
2. I went for a swim so bad that an old man doing breath stroke almost overtook me
3. I did the city to surf – with 80,000 other people

The city to surf is a 14k run from the centre of Sydney to Bondi beach. After years of talk I finally decided to enter.

I trained a little and felt in decent shape before hand. Then I looked at my wave start.

I was in the walkers group. The last group out of 80,000 runners…...

As I was warming up at the start line a large group of people started to eat huge bags of McDonalds (with large cokes)

It was that kind of wave

Oh did I mention the guy’s running in full body stockings?

Anyhow the gun went off and I proceeded to dodge my way through the people in sumo and dinosaur suits to finish in around 74 minutes (not bad considering the circumstances!)

I was on such a high that I signed up to do my first half marathon……then I woke up the next day and felt how sore I was! Talk about runners regret….

Wish me luck

Cheers

Greg

Don’t call it a comeback

I have been here for years.

Yes after far to long I have gotten back on the blog.

So what has been going on?

To be honest not a lot.

I managed to do one short course tri (the same one I have done for the past 4 years) but that is it. I do not have my times handy but I was only slightly slower than last year. Funny, as I am the unfittest I have been for a while, it was the first race I felt that I raced to my full capacity.

Do you need to be unfit to race smart? I am starting to think it works for me.

On the plus side being unfit might not be so bad

- Every session you do it feels like a good work out
- No need for compression gear. All your old clothes are as tight as compression clothes…
- You are never lonely. Every time I have gone for a swim the lifeguards have stayed really close to me

During my blog sabbatical I also managed to go to South Africa and meet some in-laws (my wife is South African). What an interesting and great place – plus we landed just as the SA iron man was on

Talk about a sign

Cheers

Greg

Songs not to sing out loud on the bus

Crowded bus, me listening to my ipod.....

I catch myself singing "touch me" by the doors....

Missed me much?

Cheers

Greg

Long time between drinks

(well not that long as all i have been doing is drinking...)

Well it has been a tough couple of months training wise. My back took a long time to get right and then I followed it up with a stomach bug which took me out for another month.

So I have had two months off...and am in the worst shape of the last couple of years

So what am I going to do about it?

I am going to train smarter....and start stroke correction classes....

If nothing else it will give me something to write about!

Wish me luck

Cheers

Greg

That was not good...but not that bad either

So it is not a good sign when you are swimming out to the start of the swim and your back jams!

As you could probably tell the swim (never my strong point) was more of a struggle than normal. I got out towards the end of my wave..but towards the front of the wave after me....

After about 6k on the bike my back was starting to feel good. I thought this was the moment, time to take it up a notch. So i clicked up the gears, got out of the seat and started to go for it when it happened again

My back........Was almost gone

So what to do 6k's out? I put it into a low gear and tried to spin it out. It was a long course when your spinning like i was!

After the slowest bike...ever....i rolled into transition. It was then i saw my wife who was worried (i was doing this tri with a first timer Ben...who did awesome...but she was worried when i was so far behind him!)

It was make or break time. Should i stop or just try and shuffle my way through?

Of course i went for it. I battled through the run to finish in around 1:28 or so

I was slow on the bike and my run was nothing that great but......i was pretty proud of my effort. This was the first time that i had finished a race not wondering "what if"

And it has given me motivation for the next one!

Cheers

Greg

Brick = Bad

So i thought i would do a lazy brick session on Sunday

A nice ride followed by a run. The ride was great, felt strong and smooth

As for the run about 2k's away from my place my back went. Out of no where...a long way from home...with no phone....outside a KFC (i is not a good look to be bent over groaning outside the dirty bird)

Here is oping it comes good for Sunday....it is not looking good at this stage

Cheers

Greg

One week to go

Until my first race in a long time

Have i done enough? No

Is there much i can no now? Not really

Am i looking forward to it?

Bring it on baby

Cheers

Greg